Ron Mueck at The Modern

Ron Mueck, Poke, 2017

Last Wednesday was my birthday so I asked my husband to play hooky from work and go see a sculpture exhibit at the Fort Worth Modern.

We dropped the munchkin off at preschool and drove about an hour to get to the museum. The artist, Ron Mueck, is a favorite of mine. His hyper-realistic human figures appeal to people who don’t necessarily like weird, abstract, or conceptual (aka “modern”) art.

Just going to the Modern is a beautiful experience, never mind the art that’s displayed inside. The building is a giant sculpture that utilizes sunlight, glass, and water to create lovely spaces and vistas. A huge reflecting pool surrounds the back half of the building, sending shimmering light up to the ceilings of the galleries and hallways.

I felt like I was giving myself a gift the moment I walked through the tall front doors.

Ron Mueck is a native of Australia who worked in puppetry and doll-making before turning his skills to full time “museum art”. He must be incredibly obsessive, patient, and observant to craft the utterly genuine-looking people that comprise the majority of his work. Each one can take up to a year to create, and when you see them in person you can understand why. Every hair, pore, and blood vessel is painstakingly represented.

This exhibit contains six works created over the past decade, and one which is in the Modern’s permanent collection: two nudes, two clothed figures, a swimsuited man and couple, and a seven-foot tall plucked chicken.

The size of that chicken brings me to the other aspect of Mueck’s work– the subjects are incredibly realistic in all but one regard: they are never shown actual size. In the case of this particular show, the chicken and the sunbathing couple are enormous, and the other five figures are small. And this is why seeing Mueck’s work in a book doesn’t have the same impact as seeing it in a gallery or museum. When you walk around a 3-foot tall, perfectly formed man who seems as if he is about to speak or wiggle his toes, it challenges your brain and all the information stored inside.

Ron Mueck, Untitled (Seated Woman), 1999

I’m not writing to deeply analyze Mueck’s work. In general, I think viewers should decide for themselves how they feel about any piece of art, what it means to them and what they think it meant to the artist. I’m usually interested to hear what an artist has to say about his own work but less interested in being told what to think by Art Historians. I am writing about this exhibit because I think it’s worthwhile to go see it.

The first piece you encounter upon entering the exhibition is a small naked woman struggling to carry a huge bundle of sticks, bending backward under its weight. You can see red scratches on her pale skin left by the rough wood she is bearing. A few steps away, that giant dead chicken hangs by its feet from a huge hook.

Ron Mueck, Woman with Sticks, 2009

The far wall is entirely  painted blue. Mounted on it, a four-foot tall man floats on an inflated pool raft. He is suspended, arms outstretched like a modern-day slacker Messiah.

Ron Mueck, Drift, 2009

In the second gallery, a nude man about 3-feet tall reaches up to hold a long telescoping stick, which juts across the room.  The pole creates an arc overhead which directs the viewer to a small Woman with Groceries. She carries plastic bags in her hands and a tiny baby swaddled inside her coat.

Ron Mueck, Poke, 2017

The final gallery holds the diminutive Seated Woman, the piece from the museum’s permanent collection, but it is dominated by the monumental Couple under an Umbrella. A man and a woman who are approximately retirement age relax under a huge beach umbrella. Viewers wonder at the detail of every toenail and age spot on these tired but kind-looking giants.

Ron Mueck, Couple under an Umbrella, 2013

Seeing these works causes one to wonder how they were made. A theater off the second gallery shows a film called Still Life. It is a documentary about Mueck’s work, his studio, and his art assistants. It is fascinating to watch the slow, quiet process of building these “people”.

This is a great exhibit to go see if you love art– and a great one to go see if you think you’re not that interested in art. So it’s perfect for couples who fall into two different categories.  Luckily, my guy is pretty receptive to art exhibits and dance performances [Thanks, big sister Cindy, for taking him to museums in his youth!]

It was such a treat to go to this museum and see Mueck’s work, but the icing on the (birthday) cake was having lunch at the Modern’s beautiful cafe. Surrounded by water and a beautiful view, it has delicious menu that’s not too pricey. What a perfect way to finish off an artsy getaway!